Drafting elite AFL players

Pies4shaw · pies4shaw Joined: 08 Oct 2007

Does that mean that "A Grade" and "elite" mean different things for you, JW?

John Wren · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:25 pm

^ yes.

stui magpie · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:34 pm

^

I'd agree. Elite would be like an A+. Absolute top class.

Pendlebury is Elite, Sidey is an A grader who could yet step up to Elite.

Tay Adams and Billy Elliot are probably just bordering on A grade but not quite there.

Tannin · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:38 pm

^ Just so Stui. Of the candidates so far, I'd have Fyfe, none of the others yet.

Tannin · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:48 pm

Here is a rule-of-thumb for recognising elite players. Imagine you were stuck down a mine shaft for the entire season. You are rescued and, a few days later, someone says to you, "Oh, did you hear that Smith-Jones won the Brownlow this year?"

If don't feel even the slightest bit surprised => elite.

Try it out on our list. Which of our players would pass the mine-shaft test? Pendlebury is the only one. (A younger Swan would for sure, but at his present age, maybe not. And there are two or three who wouldn't surprise you so much if you heard they won the Chaz in 2018, but here-and-now, only Pendles.)

stui magpie · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:54 pm

Workable definition.

For mine one of the key measurable differences between an A grader and Elite is sustained excellence.

Dustin Martin is for me a B+. Has the potential to be elite but needs to consolidate as an A first. There could be little talent wise between a B and an Elite, the main bit is between the ears. Fyffe is the only one on the original list I'd call Elite and I can't think of any others missing.

I think Wines will be elite but not for a while yet.

Tannin · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:04 pm

Domesticated_Ape · Joined: 01 Oct 2012

Fair enough fellas. Though maybe change the criteria to a-grade or else we're left with just Fyfe and maybe Wingard on the list. Laughing

Tannin · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:34 pm

Yep. That makes sense. Genuine elite players are just freaks. No-one can predict when a freak will turn up - look at the likes of Swan and Hird, both drafted in the 60s and 70s. Best to broaden this discussion to all A graders.

Albert Parker · Joined: 13 Dec 2012

Tannin · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:57 pm

See three posts up.

Albert Parker · Joined: 13 Dec 2012

^Yep, wasn't there when I started typing, but then I edited to provide some player assessments, by which stage these added posts had appeared.

Pies4shaw · pies4shaw Joined: 08 Oct 2007

Thanks for the helpful comments, guys - the complaint I've seen levelled is that Collingwood hasn't drafted any "elite" players since 2008 but perhaps that should be understood, once stripped of the hyperbole, as meaning that Collingwood hasn't drafted any "A graders" since then.

As I understand it, there seems to be consensus among you that Fyfe is the only "elite" player to have emerged from drafts after 2008 and that even fully-established "A graders" from those drafts are, so far, almost as scarce as hen's teeth.

I am reminded that I used to mock GAJr in his early years (when he had hair). Looking at his stats, I see it was probably not until 2007 that he went from being a good quality small forward averaging disposals in the high teens and kicking 1 to 1.5 goals per game to being a 27 disposal per game mid. That was his 6th season. At that rate, we'd be looking for the 2012 draftees to be hitting their straps by about 2017/2018.